


Noble Tastes

by IChallengeMyFate (Ealdremen)



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-14
Updated: 2015-02-14
Packaged: 2018-03-12 06:04:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3346268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ealdremen/pseuds/IChallengeMyFate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sumia insists on bringing Gaius to a fancy restaurant, but he has some reservations about eating somewhere expressly for nobles.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Noble Tastes

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on ichallengemyfate.tumblr.com.

“Are you _sure_ leaving Cynthia with Kellam is, uh…” Gaius waved his hand. “…A good idea?”

As they departed from the city gardens, the scent of flowers in the air faded away. Gaius hadn’t been at all surprised when Sumia had suggested meeting Kellam there so he could watch over their daughter, considering it was likely her favorite place in all of Ylisse. Perhaps she expected they would spend some time there after they got back from… wherever they were going.

Sumia tilted her head. “Why wouldn’t it be? Kellam’s great with children, and he has a daughter himself! I think it’s better than leaving Cynthia alone with the maids. At least this way, she can play with someone her age.”

Gaius shook his head. Her logic made sense, but she was missing the point. They turned down the next street; the crowds of people grew denser as they made their way to the city plaza. Gaius took Sumia’s hand, not wanting her to trip and fall over one of the people, or, gods forbid, somehow get _lost_ in the crowds.

“Well, sure,” he said, raising his voice over the hubbub around them, “I know he’s a sweet guy and all, but he kind of lacks _presence_ , you know? Don’t you think Cynthia might try to take advantage of that?”

“Take advantage? How?” Sumia stumbled just as the words left her mouth. Gaius caught her in time and held her up. Flushing slightly, she mumbled an apology. He shrugged and led her over to the side of the road, where the crowds were just a bit thinner.

“Look, that kid knows how to twist a man around her little finger. Whenever I’m eatin’ a little candy, she stares at me. With big puppy-dog eyes. Until I give her some.” Gaius shuddered at the memory. As possessive as he was over his sweets, Gaius hadn’t even realized what Cynthia had suckered him into doing until she had scurried off with the last of his candied walnuts. “I’m just saying, we shouldn’t be surprised if we come back and find that she’s convinced Kellam into, I don’t know, somethin’ like buying her a whole cake. Or if she’s just flat-out run off to try and find us again because she got bored of him.” After a moment’s thought, he added, “Or forgot he even existed.”

He gave a dismissive shrug, but noticed Sumia had slipped her hand out from his while he was talking. Gaius halted and turned around, spotting her stopped at the side of the road. It didn’t take long for him to realize she was looking back in the direction of where they had left Cynthia with Kellam.

“Uh… Never mind! I was just kidding!” Gaius called back. “She’s sweeter than pie! She’ll be fine!”

Unsure of if she heard him or not, Gaius wove his way through the crowd as easily as a river passed rocks in its path. On reaching Sumia, he gave her arm a little tug. She turned to face him, and he grinned. That seemed to snap her out of her stupor, for she held her hands up in a gasp and then grabbed him again.

“Oh, what am I thinking? We need to get going, or we’ll be late!” Gaius let her pull him along, then realized that this whole time, he hadn’t asked just _where_ they were going.

Gaius cleared his throat. “So, where’s this place we’re headed off to in such a hurry? You made me dress up all fancy, so it’s one of those well-to-do noble places, right?”

He glanced down at the black tunic with gold trimming that Sumia had insisted he wear. It hardly suited him and felt oddly tight and constricting, but at least it wasn’t like some of the more garish nobleman clothing he’d seen when they last visited Sumia’s relatives. To him, the whole reunion had the looks of a competition to dress as ridiculously as possible.

“Yes! I guess I was a little too obvious, wasn’t I?” Sumia giggled, not at all bothered by the apparent secret being out in the open. “Maribelle recommended this lovely little restaurant to me, and–”

A scowl crossed Gaius’ face as the situation sunk in.

“Wait, hold up. This was _Twinkles’_ idea?” Already Gaius could imagine what kind of restaurant it’d be. A stiff, humorless place with violins screeching in the background. Underpaid waitstaff who would call him _sir_ and compliment him like their lives depended on it. Crazy, gods-forsaken noble food with nothing but sugarless tea to wash it down.

In other words, hell.

“Not exactly _,_ ” said Sumia in a way that indicated it really had been Maribelle’s idea. When Gaius groaned, she protested, “Maribelle has good taste!”

“The taste of a noble,” corrected Gaius. “No offense to you.”

Somehow, when Gaius had married Sumia, he hadn’t really considered the ramifications of marrying into a noble family. She wasn’t royalty by any means, but she may as well have been, compared to him, considering everything he’d had to do and learn to gain her family’s approval. All of the etiquette lessons so he would seem presentable to her relatives had been easy enough; it was just like lying to city guards when they caught him skulking around a noble’s house late at night. But no matter what they had tried, Gaius hadn’t been able to acquire the… _interesting_ palate of a true nobleman.

And he very much preferred it to stay that way.

“But Gaius, they have so many things! I heard one of their chefs is from Chon’sin, so they might even have some more exotic food!” Sumia’s eyes brightened at the thought, but Gaius merely raised a skeptical brow.

“Like..?”

“…Chon’sin pork blood stew? Silkworm pupae?” suggested Sumia with a weak smile.

He grimaced and nearly gagged at the mere thought. “Pass. Can’t we just go to a little bakery? Pretty sure there’s one around here.”

Sumia barely resisted when he pulled to a stop. Gaius held his hand above his eyes to block out the high noon sun and peered around the area. Dozens of people milled about in the street, moving aside for the occasional castle-bound horseman or two. As he checked the signs of the nearby buildings, he scowled. None of them seemed to sell any sweets.

“But I thought you said you liked the food from when we visited my cousins?” Sumia asked as he continued his search.

“Nope. Nearly vomited it out all over the table right then and there. I’m surprised I didn’t gag just at the _smell_ of it.”

Sumia let out a weary sigh. “But… Oh, never mind. I’m sorry. I messed up again…”

Gaius let his hand drop and looked back to her. Just behind her was the bakery he had remembered. A little bell in the door sounded whenever someone entered or left, and it didn’t seem too crowded today, unusually enough. He swore he could smell the freshly-baked pastries and cakes, and his stomach growled. He shook his head and tapped Sumia on the shoulder to get her attention.

“Hey, you think they might have desserts at the place Twinkles told you about?”

Sumia blinked in surprise. “Well, I’m sure they would. Nobility likes sugar as much as you do, Gaius.”

Considering the “proper food” he’d practically been forced to eat the last time he dined with nobility, Gaius doubted that, but he’d let the hyperbole slide this time.

As casually as he could, Gaius said, “Then I’ll bite. Twinkles would probably get mad if we ignored her suggestion, and… I don’t know. Maybe that Chon’sin chef will have a kind of pastry I haven’t tried before.”

Sumia clasped his hands tightly, beaming with excitement. He was taken aback by the surge in enthusiasm, but he gave her a small smile as they recommenced their walk to the fancy restaurant. There was a spring to Sumia’s step that made Gaius worry she would trip over herself again. He tightened his grip on her hand, poised to save her from the inevitable stumble, and her smile only broadened.

“Do you think they might even have bee larvae? I really think you should try it!”

Gaius’ smile grew strained. “What part of ‘desserts’ makes you think ‘grubby little insects’..?”


End file.
